Don't Be Scared, I'm Right Here
by Cuda77
Summary: Since Jubal Early's visit, Kaylee's been having nightmares and the crew is anxious to help her beat them. But the only person who can help is River. River/Kaylee, Post Objects In Space
1. The Nightmare

I own nothing in regards to this story. Everything is the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox and likely a bunch of other people and organizations. I'm just playing in their 'verse, don't mind me.

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"How did you get back here?!" Kaylee whimpered fearfully.

Kaylee was in her bunk, fearfully clutching a pillow against her chest, her eyes wide in horror. At the foot of the ladder to her bunk, bounty hunter Jubal Early stood pointing his pistol at her, a length of rope in his other fist. He smiled menacingly at her, glancing about the contents of her quarters while Kaylee cowered in the corner. His cold, black eyes fell onto the dress from the party on Persephone that Kaylee had worn and was now hanging at the foot of her bed.

"Huh, well color me shocked. Here I was thinking I had you all figured out little Kaylee. I didn't peg you much as the fancy type, getting all gussied up. Never thought you'd go to that kinda length to get into the doctor's pants."

Kaylee whimpered softly, tears starting to leak from her eyes while Early walked over to her and squatted down in front of her, keeping his gun pointed directly between her eyes.

"As for how I got here, did you really think I'd be floating out there all by myself forever? This is a busy, busy world we live in; people always coming and going. I wasn't floating out there but about a couple hours before an Alliance cruiser came by. They picked me up, tracked down my ship and let me go on my way. And now I'm back here to get the Tam girl. Only trouble is, I have business to attend to with you, first.

You all may have gotten the best of ol' Early the last time but I'm not a foolish man. I know that the captain couldn't have gotten out of his bunk and out the hatch to send me off without help. And seeing as you're the only other person who wasn't knocked out or in their quarters, I figure it must have been you who helped him, even when I very explicitly warned you not to. And now I've come back to pay you back for that little Kaylee. You ought not to have crossed me."

Kaylee screamed as Early grabbed her by the hair and yanked her head back. He tried to cover her mouth with his forearm but she promptly bit down upon it, causing Early to retaliate with a slap to her face. Kaylee sobbed as Early grabbed at her hands and tried to force them behind her back so he could bind them but Kaylee struggled mightily against the bounty hunter.

"No! No! Someone help! Please don't rape me! Please! Help, somebody help me!" Kaylee cried as Early finally got her wrists bound.

"Kaylee! Kaylee!" Early shouted at her to attempt to get her to quiet down but Kaylee kept on screaming for help with her eyes clenched shut. Early grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently, repeatedly yelling her name but his voice kept getting higher and higher.

Kaylee then snapped her eyes open and found herself on the floor of the Engine Room and River Tam looking down on her, her large eyes opened wide enough that Kaylee feared they might pop out of her skull. Kaylee sat up quickly and frantically looked around for Early but found he was gone and only River was with her.

"What? What's going on? Where's Early at?" Kaylee squeaked fearfully.

"Shh, it's okay Kaylee. He's not here. He's all gone. You were having a nightmare." River whispered, attempting to calm down the older woman.

Kaylee dissolved into tears again, wrapping her arms around River's thin body and holding her against herself. River gently pet Kaylee's hair and whispered softly to Kaylee as she sobbed into River's shoulder, dampening her blouse with tears.

"You're okay Kaylee. He can't hurt you anymore. I'm here. I'll protect you."

Slowly, River could feel Kaylee start to relax and calm down but kept her grip on the young psychic as tight as possible. River was grateful that she could help her friend but she was really starting to worry about Kaylee and her sanity. It had been almost a month now since Jubal Early's visit to Serenity but the scars from his visit were evident on Kaylee's demeanor. She was paranoid about being anywhere alone and would frequently ask River to accompany her to the engine room so she could work. She started losing weight just from stress and from a lack of eating. Sometimes Kaylee would have to be reminded to attend meals. She had also started losing sleep and whenever she would finally doze off from exhaustion, she would have nightmares about Early.

It was the nightmares that was the worst because Kaylee would pitch such a fit during them that the whole ship could hear her moaning and calling for help. One particularly memorable time, she passed out at the dinner table and when Wash had attempted to roust her from her slumber, Kaylee had flailed her arm out and punched him square in the nose, breaking it instantly and causing alarming blood flow. Yet no matter who would attend to her and chase the nightmare away, Kaylee would always call for River, like some security blanket. And only when River would wrap her arms around Kaylee and mutter soothingly to her would Kaylee finally calm down.

Even though she hated seeing her friend so distressed, River never minded tending to Kaylee when she called for her. It made River swell that she could be of some comfort and relaxation to her dear friend just with a simple embrace. As far as River was concerned, she could hug Kaylee forever if she was given the chance to. Kaylee was always so warm and soft and even though she was constantly covered from head to foot in some residue from the engines, she always had a pleasing smell of strawberries to her. River closed her eyes and buried her face in Kaylee's flowing golden brown hair, nuzzling her face against her scalp which triggered a low sigh from Kaylee. Kaylee tilted her head up to look into River's eyes, her own eyes swollen from the crying. River looked down at her, smiling warmly and gently stroked Kaylee's cheek. They sat in silence for a few moments just gazing deeply into each other's eyes before Kaylee reached her hand up, wrapped her fingers up in River's hair and started to pull her in for a kiss.

"Kaylee? Is everything okay?"

Kaylee jerked back from River and her eyes flew to the entrance of the engine room where Simon was standing holding his med kit and seemingly the entire crew behind him. Simon had taken to bringing his med kit along anytime that they needed to wake Kaylee after the incident with Wash. Simon looked concerned but poised to help should River have taken any accidental damage from the mechanic. Behind Simon stood Mal with a worried look on his face but he stood stiffly with his arms crossed across his chest. Zoë and Wash were behind him, Wash jokingly cowering behind his wife, causing her to roll her eyes and smirk. And behind all of them was Jayne, not really paying attention to anything going on and instead was fiddling around with his pocket knife. Kaylee sniffled and wiped the tears away from her face.

"Yeah, Simon, I'm fine. No damage done." Kaylee said as cheerfully as she could muster.

"Good, then you should be able to join us in the dining room for some food and a discussion about this problem of yours, little Kaylee. Now." Mal said shortly, turning on his heel and striding back to the dining room Jayne followed close behind, eager to get back for some food. After a moment, Wash, Zoë and Simon all left the engine room, leaving River and Kaylee alone again for the briefest of moments. Kaylee groaned a bit and bit her lip nervously at the thought of having to discuss this with everyone but River took Kaylee's face in both her hands so Kaylee was looking directly at her again.

"Don't worry, I have your back." River said.

And with those words, Kaylee felt all her fears disappear, replaced only by tender affection for River. Kaylee smiled and nodded and the two young women got to their feet and followed the rest of the crew into the dining room. They took their seats at the remaining spaces left at the table. River gracefully lowered herself into her seat next to her brother and Kaylee sat down right next to her, holding tightly onto River's hand. Mal stood at the head of the table, leaning on his fists with his head bowed, looking to gather his thoughts. Zoë sat next to Mal with Wash next to her. Jayne sat at the end of the table munching on an apple with his feet up on the table. Once everyone had been seated, Mal took a breath and looked out over his crew for a moment before focusing on Kaylee.

"So, where's the food at? Come on, let's eat!" Jayne said looking about, wondering why no one had gone to the kitchen to get anything.

"First things first, Jayne," Mal said shortly, "we gotta talk about what's going on with Kaylee. Then you can feel free to fill your face."

Jayne muttered to himself and rubbed his stomach as it let out a growl that could be heard by everyone present.

"Okay, now we all know that since we had that run in with that chusheng xai-jiao de xiang huo, our lovely little engineer here has taken a bit of a turn for the worst. Hasn't been eating much. Afraid to go anywhere alone. Sleeplessness. And of course, when she does sleep, she hollers and cries enough to alert the 'verse. Now Kaylee, don't mistake me for being annoyed, we're just worried bout ya is all. Now we know that he tied you up but I got a powerful notion that's not all he did. So Kaylee, if you want us to be helping you out, you gotta let us know what happened."

Everyone's gaze shifted to Kaylee who had lost all the courage that she had in the engine room. She sat in her place at the table, eyes looking straight down at her lap, tears dripping down her nose. She gripped River's hand under the table as her mind raced through what had happened that night. Early sneaking up on her, tying her up and threatening to rape her if she didn't say where River was. Kaylee closed her eyes and merely thought "Please don't tell them," knowing that River could hear what she thought.

"She's afraid of Santa Claus." River spoke slowly in that mysterious tone of hers.

All the eyes that were previously on Kaylee looked over to River, except for Jayne who merely rolled his eyes in anticipation of another wacky spiel from the moonbrain.

"He dresses in red and comes down the chimney. Says he's going to bring presents. But he only has coal. And he wants things in return. Where does River sleep?"

Kaylee shook her head and silently thought "No, please don't, please stop" for River but River continued on. Simon cautiously put out his hand towards River's shoulder but she snapped her head around before it could get there and looked wildly at him.

"Throw a monkey wrench into my dealings and your body is forfeit." River said, her voice getting higher. She turned to look at Zoë and Wash.

"Ain't nothing but a body to me."

She turned to Jayne, who was now paying close attention and had taken his feet off the table.

"I can find all unseemly manner of uses for it." River growled in a low voice.

Finally she turned her eyes to Mal, eyes blazing.

"The captain is right down that hallway. He can hear you." River whispered loudly.

Everyone's gaze briefly shifted to Mal as he sighed heavily and hung his head, knowing full well why he wouldn't have been able to help, having been knocked out by Early and deposited into his bunk.

"The captain's locked in his quarters. They all are. There's nobody can help you. Say it."

"There's no one can help me." Kaylee squeaked tearfully.

Everyone's gaze shifted back to Kaylee as comprehension as to what River was talking about truly dawned on them. So no one was really surprised by what River finally whispered.

"Have you ever been raped?"

Kaylee wailed loudly and tried to get up from the table but Mal strode over to her instantly and wrapped his arms around her torso from behind, preventing her from leaving. Kaylee struggled mightily against the captain but the stronger man was able to keep her at bay.

"Kaylee! Kaylee! Listen, I know you been hurt but you can't keep running from this. You have to face this or it's going to haunt you for the rest of your life. Don't let that hun dan and his threat ruin you Kaylee. We don't want to lose our sunshine here so sit back down and let's talk about this." Mal bellowed.

Kaylee finally stopped thrashing about and merely collapsed against Mal, dissolving into wild wails of tears. Slowly, River climbed out of her chair and stood in front of Kaylee, her lip quivering. River brushed Kaylee's hair away from her face so she could look straight into Kaylee's eyes and she slowly traced her hands down Kaylee's cheeks, catching several tears as they leaked from Kaylee's eyes. Kaylee finally looked up at River and sniffled loudly and started hyperventilating a bit.

"I'm sorry Kaylee. I had to say it." River quavered.

River slowly spread her arms out for a hug and Kaylee walked into it, holding the teen against her as tightly as she could. And like all the times before, once she was wrapped in River's arms, Kaylee started calming down and stopped the tears. Once she had recovered, Kaylee finally took her seat once more at the table.

"Right then," Mal stated in his most serious captain-y voice he had, "what are we fixing to do to remedy this problem? Normally, I'd say best course of action is to face your fears head-on but that don't seem much like an option seeing as the source of your trouble is right now just a red suit floating in space. So it really won't do no good to lock him in a room with you and you armed with a pipe wrench."

"How about a nice getaway? We could call Inara and have her stay with her at the Companion House for a bit, give her a little vacation." Wash said thoughtfully.

"In case you didn't notice Wash, Inara ain't exactly a paying member of this crew anymore. So it's not too likely we enjoy the perks or a working relationship anymore now that she's gone." Mal said with just a touch of bitterness in his voice.

"I could take her shooting." Jayne stated a bit excitedly.

Everyone merely looked at Jayne like he was a lunatic.

"Hell then, I don wanna know what you guys woulda said to my other suggestion, goin and getting little Kaylee all sexed up. If'n guns don't make me feel any ruttin better, gettin sexed does."

Everyone silently groaned to themselves and shook their heads at the words of the public relations officer. Jayne merely scoffed and returned to his reclining position from earlier, going back to not caring what anyone was talking about.

"I could keep her in the infirmary under my watch. Keep her on an IV to make sure she stays healthy. Give her something to help her sleep better. Might make the nightmares go away." Simon suggested in his cool, measured tone.

"Well, much as I might not like it, it may just come down to that doc. Now I don't much like the thought of my star engineer needing to be basically force fed and then doped up every night so's she can sleep but if that's the only option we have, it's what we'll have to do." Mal replied. "That is, unless you have any ideas River? You're yet to speak in this discussion. What are your thoughts?"

"What do ya think her thoughts are, Mal? They're crazy. She'll probably say something weird like she wants to be Kaylee's elf to help her fight the evil Santy Claus." Jayne guffawed.

"Jayne, shut the hell up." Zoë snapped.

Jayne grumbled a bit for getting yelled at while everyone else looked at River who looked to be deep in thought.

"I can stay with Kaylee. Keep her company; be there for her when she needs someone."

"Ooh, ooh, I like that idea captain." Kaylee suddenly burst out happily, practically bouncing up and down in her seat.

"Well then I guess that's what's going to happen. Doesn't appear to be any secret that lately, Kaylee seems to work at her best with you around, little one. I got no problems with you keeping watch over her." Mal said happily, hoping this solution would work. Everyone else nodded their agreement except Simon who had bit his lip and looked uncomfortably at River.

"Um, River? I'm not sure that's so smart. I should be keeping watch over you to make sure you don't have any nightmares of your own."

"I'll be fine, Simon! Just trust me." River snapped, annoyed at her over-protective brother.

"Ooh, this is gonna be so much fun! It'll be like a sleepover!" Kaylee squealed happily, already plotting out fun things to do with River that night.

"Fine, it's settled then. River, tonight and every night until further notice, you're to report to Kaylee's quarters for bed. Dong ma?"

River nodded, a wide grin spreading across her face at Kaylee's excitedness, eager for the night to arrive.

"So now that Kaylee's finally back and all, can we finally get going with dinner anytime soon?" Jayne grumbled. "'m so gorram hungry that turning into a Reaver's looking pretty logical right about now."

"Oh Jayne," Wash said with a laugh in his voice, "has it really been that long since you willingly got someone to bed you that you'd turn to raping them while on the way to eating them to get yourself laid?"

The crew all laughed heartily at Wash's comment while Jayne merely threw his napkin at the pilot. The laughs died down and Zoë and Wash stood up to start preparing the food while the rest of the crew helped set the table. Once everything was all cooked, the crew all sat down to eat while Wash regaled them with a funny tale from his days in flight school.

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Chinese translations:

chusheng xai-jiao de xiang huo - animal fucking bastard

hun dan - bastard

dong ma? - understand?


	2. The Sleepover

Later in her room, Kaylee was bustling about in preparation for her visit from River. Kaylee had changed into pajamas of a light blue camisole and gray sweatpants as she buzzed about, humming happily in anticipation of the fun night in store for her. Just then, there was a knocking at the door and a moment later, River came sliding down the ladder into Kaylee's bunk carrying with her a sleeping bag and pillow. Kaylee practically bounced over to River and swiftly wrapped her up into a hug.

"I'm sorry about earlier tonight, Kaylee." River whispered.

"Aw sweetie, it's shiny. Cap'n is right, I need to confront this thing if I'm ever going to be able to feel like myself again. I don't wanna be feeling like this no more. I'm tired of not being able to sleep and just having this constantly on my mind. It ain't good for me. Plus, I get to have you staying with me tonight and it's gonna be tons of fun," proclaimed Kaylee, beaming happily.

"It is?" River questioned. "I guess I don't see how me sleeping on the floor next to you will be a great deal of fun."

"Well we ain't going to bed right away, silly. Haven't you ever had a sleep-over before?"

River opened her mouth to respond but closed it again quickly and shifted uncomfortably. Kaylee's face fell when she realized what she said and quickly wrapped River up in another hug.

"Oh River, I'm so sorry. I forgot about you going away to the Academy. But not even before then?"

River merely shook her head before saying in a low voice, "Rivers only flow to school and back home again. No time for journeys elsewhere."

"That's a shame to hear River. But don't worry, I'll be glad to help show you what you been missing. Tonight's going to be a night you'll never forget."

River gave a small smile as she looked up at Kaylee, who kissed her on the top of the head and gently ran her hands up and down River's back.

"So, what do we do first?" asked River.

"Well, back home with my friends, usually the first thing we'd always do is paint our nails so they'd look all pretty for the boys. Sound good?"

River nodded and Kaylee reached under her bed and pulled out a small bag. She then emptied the contents onto her bed and an array of nail polish bottles in various colors spilled out across the sheets as well a couple sets of toe separators.

"What color would you like honey?" Kaylee asked, gesturing to all the colors spread across the bed.

River glanced over the selection for a few moments before selecting a deep blue polish. Kaylee sat River down on her bed and requested for one of her feet. River obliged and Kaylee placed a separator between River's toes and opened up the bottle. Kaylee then set to work, painting River's toenails with a concentration and precision that River had seen many times before when Kaylee would be tinkering with the engine. River stared admiringly at Kaylee while the mechanic diligently worked on her toes and couldn't help thinking to herself how lovely Kaylee looked when she was carefully working on something. Just the way Kaylee's brow would furrow and her nose would wiggle and the way she bit her lower lip while she worked mesmerized River.

Kaylee finished her work and gently blew on River's toes to help the polish dry faster before setting her own toes for a treatment of their own. She thumbed through all the bottles of polish on the bed, trying to select the appropriate color. Unable to make a decision, Kaylee turned to River who was happily wiggling her toes, making the polish shine off the lights of Kaylee's bunk.

"Um, River," Kaylee asked hesitantly, "what's Simon's favorite color?"

River giggled a bit at the question, knowing full well why Kaylee was asking. River searched through the bottles herself until she found a dark purple bottle and handed it to Kaylee.

"Thanks," Kaylee said sheepishly, blushing a bit.

"Still haven't given up hope then?"

"No sweetie, not yet. I gotta tell you though, I'm about at the end of my rope with that boy. I don't know what the trouble is. I can see clear as day that he likes me as well but I just can't seem to break him down. And I mean I like him an awful lot but I just don't like feeling like I'm fighting an impossible battle with him. Does he talk about me at all?"

River closed her eyes and grimaced, not wanting to hurt her friend's feelings but finally managed to say, "Sorry Kaylee, but no. He's always got me and finding some way to make me better on his mind. Constant as the sunrise and sunset; never once deviating."

Kaylee sighed sadly a bit but nodded in response and painted her toes in silence. After she finished, Kaylee packed her things back up into her bag and replaced it underneath her bed, not once saying a word. River merely drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, also remaining silent and trying to fight back a few tears. Having River here was supposed to be helping Kaylee, not making her feel worse and River felt awful for having to ruin her friend's first genuinely cheerful mood in weeks. Suddenly, River got an idea and glanced over at Kaylee who had her head hung down and was staring down at her sweatpants.

"Hey, how about a game of jacks?" River suggested hopefully, looking for any way to brighten Kaylee's mood.

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea," piped up Kaylee excitedly and immediately hopped off the bed to get her jacks bag. As she turned back towards the bed, a thought dawned on Kaylee and she looked at the jacks bag in her hand then looked over at River and finally to something in the corner before a cheeky smile crossed Kaylee's face.

"What?" asked River, curious to know what Kaylee was looking at.

Kaylee didn't respond and walked over to the trunk on the floor of her bunk in the corner. She opened the trunk and pulled out a large brown cube with what looked to be a nozzle protruding from the bottom of one of the sides. Kaylee set the mysterious box on her bed before grinning wickedly at River.

"How's about we make this game a bit more interesting?"

"How do you mean?" asked River, never taking her eyes off the box.

"Well I got myself some sake in a box here that I've been saving for a special occasion. And I say we have ourselves a little bit of fun with it. Like every time we screw up, we have to take a drink. How's that sound?"

"Ooh, I don't know Kaylee. Simon will be upset if he heard I was drinking. I imagine the captain wouldn't be too thrilled either," River said nervously.

"Aw, come on River. You're near enough to age to have a couple drinks. Simon won't be too sore I'm sure. That is, unless you're a chicken," Kaylee said tauntingly with a fiendish little glint in her eye. River's eyes blazed a bit with the questioning of her bravery and got nose-to-nose with Kaylee with a smug smirk on her face.

"You're on."

Kaylee playfully shoved the bag into River's chest with a devilish grin, and hopped up to get cups. River shook her head ruefully, threw the rainbow of metal jacks onto the floor, and bounced the ball a couple of times as warm-up. Kaylee hopped back and threw herself onto the floor. She poured some sake into a cup featuring the fruity-oaty octopus and passed it to River, who peered into it dubiously. Kaylee dumped several paintbrushes out of a cup with a multicolored pony, brushed it out a bit, and poured for herself. They tapped cups in mock toast.

"A quick taste for luck!" Kaylee chirped. They drank. Kaylee smiled with eyes-closed appreciation of fine things long put by. River sputtered quietly.

"Aw, sorry hun," Kaylee said, patting the girl's back. "I ain't got a way to heat this good stuff up proper, like where you grew up. Still, it's yummy, huh?"

River caught herself before saying that her family knew that good sake didn't need heating, and instead gasped out "You gonna talk, or toss?"

Kaylee chuckled, took the ball and tossed it straight up, plucked up a single jack, and caught it before it made a second bounce. She repeated this act for each of the ten jacks, though a couple required some deft snatching to avoid moving a neighbor.

"Onesies cleared. Drink."

"Wha—Oh! Ok…" River drank. With less sputtering, and pleased by it.

Kaylee threw the jacks down again. She managed to pick up two sets of two, before being distracted by how lovely the blue nail polish looked on River's graceful foot, just now laid near the playing area. She nudged a third piece, moving it slightly.

"You missed! Drink!" River commanded, and imperiously held her handout for the ball. She finished her onesies with style, and was warmed to her toes by Kaylee's admiring toast. She likewise cleared twosies with ease, her fingers dancing among the sharp metal objects.

Threes begun, she picked up the single jack she knew would be left over at the end, since it was all by its tantalizing lonesome. She felt sorry for it. She knew how it felt.

"Oop… didn't say 'moons before planets'! My turn. Oh, and drink!" Kaylee chortled.

"Go ahead and get me drunk. I'll still win," River primly teased as she passed over the ball.

Kaylee swept through twos and threes, taking a few sips of sake as she went, 'cause why not? She got to the leftover pair of foursies, and flubbed catching the ball in time. "It's my turn to drink anyways," She grinned.

River blew right through into eights, the deft sweeping along the spread of eight jacks performed while looking dead into Kaylee's eyes, with a small smug grin of challenge just to show off. She laughed so hard at Kaylee's hoot of joyful outrage that she missed the easy two left over.

"That's what showin' off'll earn ya. My daddy always said," Kaylee lectured, oh so solemnly. She tossed the jacks, and plucked out a complicated set of four despite the buzz she now had. That set her up well to complete the round, and the next, before she forgot how many six was and had to pass.

River swept eight from between two with a dancer's care, collected the remainder, and threw again. Ninesies she pulled out of a seemingly complete pile, without disturbing one at the very edge. On the final round, she slid all ten jacks off the floor, caught the ball before it made a single bounce, and beamed at her friend.

"Ha! Victory is mine!" River proclaimed proudly, pumping her fist in celebration.

"Yeah, yeah, let's see you win another one hotshot." Kaylee said with a slight slur to her voice.

In their second game, River once again triumphed, this time a bit more lopsidedly. Kaylee's increasing inebriation prevented her from even making it past threes while River quickly blazed to victory without too much difficulty. River refused the request for a third match as Kaylee had started to sway a bit on the floor and her eyes constantly shifted in and out of focus. The two ended up back on Kaylee's bed where River gently brushed Kaylee's luscious hair while Kaylee relaxed her head in River's lap, enjoying the attention that River was giving her. Kaylee switched on her stereo and a brisk waltz began playing over the tiny speakers. Kaylee softly hummed along with the song while River continued to brush out Kaylee's hair.

"Y'know something River," Kaylee suddenly blurted out, a pronounced slur now in her voice, "I dunno why I was getting so bent outta shape about Simon earlier. In fact, t'hell with 'im. I don need him, no sir. I gots you River; you're alls I need."

River chuckled a bit to herself at Kaylee's demeanor but beamed at her kind words, despite the fact of them being alcohol induced. She looked down at Kaylee who was tilting her head back to look at River with her eyes shining like diamonds. The song ended and a new song started which River recognized and began humming along to herself and swaying gently on the bed. Without warning Kaylee clambered clumsily off the bed and bowed to River.

"May I have this dance?" Kaylee hiccupped.

River smiled bigger and allowed Kaylee to take her hand and pull River in tight against her. The two gently swayed and turned together, locked in a close embrace. River snuggled her head into the crook of Kaylee's neck and the smell of strawberries mixed with the sake from earlier filled her nose, causing her to sigh happily. The song eventually ended and the two women pulled apart long enough to look each other in the eyes, both smiling serenely before Kaylee leaned down and kissed River. This suddenly woke up River from the mild haze she was in from the sake and she pulled back after a moment, looking startled and confused.

"River? You okay honey?" asked Kaylee, a bit confused herself.

"Yes, I'm okay. I think maybe we should be getting ready for bed though. Er, sleep. I meant sleep."

Kaylee nodded and carefully climbed into her bed. River unrolled her sleeping bag on the floor before removing her blouse without any warning at all. Kaylee's eyes widened as River's small breasts came into view, her dusky nipples pointing a good half an inch out due to the slight chill in the air. River didn't stop there and swiftly dropped her skirt and panties as well, leaving her nude before Kaylee. Kaylee felt her breath start to catch as she gazed at River's gorgeous body. River lied down and started to wriggle into her sleeping bag as a sudden thought struck Kaylee.

"Um, River, you don't have to sleep on the cold, hard ground if'n you don't want to. There's plenty of room in the bed for both of us."

River pondered this for a moment before disentangling herself from the sleeping bag and crawling into bed next to Kaylee. River turned to her side and snuggled her back against Kaylee as she yawned and closed her eyes. Meanwhile, Kaylee was still transfixed with River's body, gazing at her smooth pale skin pulled taut over lean muscles. While she looked, temptation flooded over Kaylee and the urge to wrap her hand around River's small breast overwhelmed her. Finally it became too much for Kaylee to resist and her arm snaked around River's torso and closed her hand around the small mound of flesh. River's eyes flew open and she turned to face Kaylee, unable to make any sense of what Kaylee was doing.

"Kaylee? What are you doing? What's going on?"

Kaylee retracted her hand quickly and tried to stammer out an answer but she couldn't get one out before suddenly bursting into tears. Almost on reflex, River wrapped her arms around Kaylee and pulled her head against her chest. Tears leaked from Kaylee's eyes onto River's breast as the mechanic sobbed loudly.

"I'm sorry River, I'm so sorry. I just couldn't resist. You just looked so beautiful lying there and I couldn't help it. I don't want to upset you none. You mean too much to me. I'd be lost without you." Kaylee wailed.

"Shh, it's okay Kaylee. I'm okay and I'm not going anywhere," River whispered soothingly. "You're a strong woman Kaylee, you'll be okay."

"No I'm not, I'm not strong," sniffled Kaylee. "I didn't even put up any kind of fight when Early tied me up. I let him scare me and give up where your bunk was. I betrayed you to save my own hide and I'll never forgive myself for it."

"Kaylee, it's okay, that doesn't matter to me. I'm not upset at you for that. I just want you to be the old Kaylee again," whispered River, starting to tear up a bit herself now.

"The only thing that got me through that was you coming over that speaker and telling me things would be okay. You were there for me when I needed someone more than ever. And you always have been too. When we were on Niska's skyplex and I was under fire from those guards, you came in and saved my life. I'll never be able to fully thank you for that. You are my guardian angel, always looking out for me and protecting me. And I need you here with me. I need you to hold me in your arms and make me feel safe and loved again. Can you do that for me?"

River smiled and nodded and hugged Kaylee tighter against her, drawing a relieved sigh from the mechanic as she clutched against River as if River were a life preserver keeping her afloat in a wild sea. River nuzzled her face against Kaylee's forehead while gently stroking her hair again while Kaylee's hands ran up and down River's bare back. River drew back a bit to look at Kaylee, who at this point had stopped crying and looked up at River with eyes that still were a bit fearful.

Without thinking about it, River closed her eyes and pressed her lips softly against Kaylee's. Kaylee was surprised at first but gradually melted into the kiss herself as she pushed harder against River's lips, forcing them into a deeper kiss. Kaylee's tongue poked out and flicked across River's lips, looking for access inside River's mouth. River granted permission and opened her mouth slightly, allowing Kaylee's tongue to find her own and wrap itself around it.

After a few moments, the two women broke from their kiss and rested their foreheads against each other, each panting for breath a bit. Kaylee opened her eyes first and her long eyelashes brushed across River's eyelashes, bringing a small sigh from the teen before opening her eyes as well and looking deeply into Kaylee's haunted brown eyes.

"Did you enjoy that Kaylee?" River whispered.

"Yes, yes River I did," breathed Kaylee. "Thank you so much for that."

River reached up with her hand and cupped Kaylee's cheek.

"Is there anything else you'd like to do with me in this bed?" River asked with a hint of playfulness in her voice.

"You mean that?"

"Yes, Kaylee, I do. I've never done anything sexual with girls before but for you I gladly will. You said you wanted to feel safe and loved again and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make you feel like that."

"Well okay, if you're sure. But if somethin' don't feel right that we're doin', lemme know and I'll stop right quick," Kaylee quickly said, trying her best to keep her excitement under control.

River smiled at Kaylee again and pulled her in for another kiss. Kaylee wrapped her arms around River's small body and pulled her in close while she kissed her back, floating high on a cloud of bliss that she couldn't tell if it was the kiss or the sake pumping through her veins that was causing the sensation. River buried her hands in Kaylee's hair and carefully rubbed Kaylee's scalp while Kaylee's hands roamed free all over River's soft skin.

Kaylee broke away from the kiss and slowly started placing soft kisses all across River's cheek to her jaw and then down her jaw to her neck. River let out a low moan and arched her neck further against Kaylee's mouth while continuing to run her fingers through Kaylee's hair. Kaylee kissed her way all the way across River's neck and back again before darting her tongue out and running it along the side of River's neck, causing River to seize up for a split second and emit a sharp gasp of breath. Kaylee quickly stopped what she was doing and sat up, fearing she'd hurt River.

"I'm sorry honey, did I hurtcha?"

"Mmm, no Kaylee, that felt wonderful. Please keep going," sighed River happily, stretching out a bit on the bed.

Kaylee breathed a quick sigh of relief and took the opportunity to gaze at River's beautiful body without feeling rude for doing it. Slowly, Kaylee took all of River in, running her sharp eyes over every inch of her. River became aware that Kaylee was staring at her and playfully struck a sultry pose on the bed. Kaylee giggled at River's silliness and let out a bright smile that lit up the room more than the overhead light. Slowly Kaylee reached out with her hand towards River's breast.

For the second time that night, Kaylee's hand closed around River's bare breast but this time, River merely closed her eyes and inhaled deeply in response. With her heart pounding, Kaylee softly squeezed and kneaded the soft flesh while River started breathing harder and harder and squirming about just a bit. Growing bolder, Kaylee darted her head down and took River's other breast in her mouth, drawing a quick gasp and a small moan from the teenager. Using what she liked having done to her as a guide, Kaylee bit River's nipple as gently as she could to keep it in place while her tongue rolled back and forth across the tip of it.

River continued moaning and gasping while Kaylee did her work. She buried one hand in Kaylee's hair and resumed rubbing her scalp while also gently pushing the mechanic's head down further into her breast. Her other hand, meanwhile, slid itself under the back of Kaylee's camisole and her fingers ran up and down Kaylee's naked back. River felt Kaylee sigh around her breast and close her eyes in happiness while she continued suckling passionately on River's breast.

Wanting a bit more, River bunched the bottom of Kaylee's camisole in her hand and started lifting it up Kaylee's torso to remove it. Reluctantly, Kaylee detached herself from River's breasts and lifted her arms over her head so River could fully remove the garment and toss it to the floor next to her clothes. Not wanting another interruption to occur, Kaylee undid the drawstring of her sleep pants herself and pushed them off, leaving both women naked in Kaylee's bed.

River took the opportunity to do a bit of staring herself as her eyes roamed over Kaylee's body. As beautiful as she was with clothes on, Kaylee was truly marvelous in the buff. She was curvy in all the right places and other than her hard-working, calloused hands, had skin as smooth as velvet. Before long, River's eyes fell across Kaylee's petite breasts and mound of curly pubic hair and felt a small warm glow in her abdomen flare up as she examined Kaylee. For reasons she couldn't explain, River suddenly became overwhelmed with the desire to be touching all those parts of Kaylee.

With the alcohol in her system making her bold, River slowly reached down between Kaylee's legs and ran her fingers through Kaylee's pubic hair, causing a shiver from Kaylee as she stared intensely into River's eyes. River gazed back, the lust steadily building inside of her as she stroked Kaylee. Without warning, River dipped her hand lower and her finger brushed against Kaylee's clitoris. Kaylee bit her lower lip as she let out a low moan and spread her legs apart further to allow River easier access. River kept gently running her finger back and forth across Kaylee's pleasure center, aided by the slickness from the juices flowing freely from Kaylee's groin.

Kaylee wrapped her arms around River's head and hugged it closely to her while whimpering constantly from River's talented fingers. Her head was already a bit cloudy from the sake and with the addition of River rubbing her clit, Kaylee was completely lost on a floating cloud of happiness. While Kaylee enjoyed herself, River suddenly lurched her head out and bit down on Kaylee's nipple, drawing a sharp cry from Kaylee. River gradually picked up the pace of her fingers on Kaylee's clit while she furiously wrestled Kaylee's nipple around with her tongue. Kaylee eventually started moving her hips in time while crying out higher and higher and moaning River's name.

"Oh! Oh! River, I'm gonna cum," cried out Kaylee with all the brain power she head left Don't stop, don't stop! Ohh!"

Kaylee let out a massive groan and hugged River as tight against her chest as she could as her orgasm washed over her. River didn't relent one bit and kept her fingers and tongue going, trying to prolong the experience as long as she could for her friend. As her orgasm continued, Kaylee went completely rigid as she squeaked in ecstasy and her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

"Okay! Okay! Please stop! You're gonna kill me!" gasped Kaylee. River finally relented and Kaylee's body went limp as she melted against River. River snuggled herself around Kaylee's body and gently kissed her sternum and collarbone while Kaylee panted for breath and tried to calm her heartrate as it literally felt like her heart would pound out of her chest at any moment. After a few minutes, Kaylee finally started to calm down and started lovingly petting and stroking River's hair and back.

"Oh xin-gan, that was amazing," purred Kaylee. "Thank you so much."

"Anything for my Kaylee," replied River, smiling up at the radiant mechanic.

Kaylee leaned down and thanked River further with a tender kiss, which the young reader gladly accepted. While they kissed, Kaylee's hand creeped down River's body, over her stomach and down her thigh until she came to River's groin and brushed her own finger across River's clit. River gasped into the kiss, making Kaylee giggle.

"Now it's my turn to have some fun with you," breathed Kaylee huskily, pressing her forehead against River's and looking lustfully into her eyes. River merely closed her eyes and smiled serenely, opening her legs for Kaylee to do whatever she pleased. Kaylee sat up and squirmed her way down to the edge of her bed, positioning herself between River's legs. Kaylee started by caressing River's foot and kissed her on the very tip of her big toe, followed by the top of her foot, her ankle, her calf, her shin, her knee, her thigh, the inside of her thigh and then finally Kaylee kissed River right on top of her vagina.

Feeling like she'd teased River enough, Kaylee hunkered herself down between River's thighs and slowly ran her tongue over River's clit. River bucked at this and all the muscles in her body seized up simultaneously as if she'd been shocked. Kaylee repeated the action, causing River to whimper as her eyes crossed and her vision started to go blurry. Kaylee finally wrapped her mouth over River's pubic area and pressed her tongue against River's clit as forcefully as she could. Kaylee then sucked as hard as she could on River's nub while rapidly flicking her tongue back and forth across it.

"Wuh de tyen ah, that's so wonderful Kaylee!" River moaned out.

Hearing River's cries of pleasure from what she was doing to her really started to turn Kaylee on again. Hoping to hear more of River's moans, Kaylee slid a finger gently inside River's moist hole and probed it all around. River responded with the moans Kaylee was looking for and she let out a string of expletives in Chinese that made Kaylee giggle again. River heard this and put a mock stern look on her face.

"So you're laughing at me, huh? Why don't you try having this done to you and not start cursing happily?"

"Is that a challenge?" Kaylee asked with a hint of playfulness in her voice. Without giving River a chance to respond positive or negative, Kaylee quickly scooted her body around so that her groin was on top of River's face. With no apparent alternative, River poked her tongue out and started rolling it over Kaylee's clit, attempting to mimic what Kaylee had been doing to her.

"Ta ma duh," squealed Kaylee.

"Ha, told you that you couldn't help it," proclaimed River triumphantly.

"I guess you did mei-mei." replied Kaylee with mock sullenness in her voice.

"So, what do I win?"

"Oh, I'll tell you what you win. You win the greatest orgasm you've ever had in your life," Kaylee purred just moments before resuming the cunnilingus. Kaylee left her body on top of River's and River decided to make the best of the situation and simultaneously started eating out Kaylee. Both women spent the next few minutes pleasuring each other orally, taking only the briefest moments to let out a moan or words of encouragement. Eventually, both girls reached their climaxes with Kaylee's skilled tongue managing to coax multiple orgasms out of River while she practically screamed ecstatically into Kaylee's cunt. When they'd finished, Kaylee crawled back up next to River and pulled her blanket over the two of them. They snuggled closely against each other, both sweaty and exhausted from the physical exertion.

"Thank you so much River," Kaylee whispered as a small tear leaked from her eyes. "I'll never forget this night."

"It was my pleasure Kaylee," River whispered back. "Are you going to be back to normal now?"

"I hope so. I'm still a bit scared though. What if the nightmares come back?"

River took Kaylee's face in both her hands and forced Kaylee to look deep into her haunted eyes. River leaned in to kiss a tear from the corner of Kaylee's eyes before looking intently at her once more.

"Don't be scared, I'm right here."

With that, River snuggled her head against Kaylee's chest while Kaylee hugged her tight, tears flowing silently from her eyes but she made no attempt to wipe them away. Kaylee kissed River on the top of her head and settled in with her and knew that she was going to be okay. As long as River was right there, she didn't have to fear anything in the 'verse. Eventually, both women dozed off peacefully to sleep, neither one having any nightmares.

***********************************

CHINESE TRANSLATIONS:

xin-gan: "sweetheart"

wuh de tyen ah: "Holy mother of God"

ta ma duh: "Fuck me blind"

mei-mei: "little sister"


End file.
